From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit

Paul Revere - detecting weak signals, being well connected

Afternoon April 18, 1775 Stable boy in Boston overheard two British officers talking about “there’ll be hell to pay tomorrow” He went to the home of a silversmith called Paul Revere. It wasn’t the first rumor Revere and his colleagues had heard that day - they suspected the British were going to march to Lexington to arrest colonial leaders John Hancock an Samuel Adams, and then to Concord to seize stores of guns and ammunition. The boy’s news ‘broke the camel’s back’. This small community of collaborators had detected the WEAK SIGNAL - CoP/networks are good at doing this.

Revere commenced his ride at 10pm to warn the communities around Boston and rouse the militia to meet them. In 2 hours he covered 13 miles. In every town he knocked on doors ad told the local colonial leaders of the oncoming British and asked them to spread the word to others. By 3am the word was in Andover, 45 miles from Boston.

On the morning of 19th, the British were amazed to meet orgainsed and fierce resistance. At Concorsd they met and were defeated by the colonial militia and the American revolution was born.

At the same time Revere started his ride, a fellow revolutionary went on the same errand to the east. He had the same sensational news, visited as many towns and houses and covered as many miles as Revere. But the countryside in the direction wasn’t roused. In fact, reports after the event suggested these towns must have been strongly pro-British. But this wasn’t the case. Who was this guy? His name was William Dawes.

Why did Revere succeed where Dawes failed. The secret was Revere’s ‘connectivity’ his relationships. Revere knew which doors to knock on, the colonial leaders recognised him and trusted him and acted immediately on his news. Dawes on the other hand didn’t know the right doors ton knock on. When he did he had to explain who he was, and some didn’t believe him. He was much less effective because he had few relationships.

Based on content in Malcolm Gladwell 'The Tipping Point' and wikipedia.